Cowabunga! Grandiose tortoise pays visit to the Myrtle Beach area
Benjamin Franklin paid a visit to The Grand Strand on Saturday. No, not one. This one is nearly as old, though
A Sulcata turtle, named Benjamin Franklin, stopped by the Surfside Beach area and drew attention from most in passed the S.C. Highway 544 and U.S. Highway 17 area.
“It gives them something they ain’t seen but on TV,” said Randy Gallagher, who owns Benjamin Franklin.
The turtle was snacking on some grass outside a Myrtle Beach area gas station and a few people came over to see or grab a picture.
Gallagher, from Calabash, North Carolina, said he takes Franklin through the region so people can see something new. Kids can also pet or ride the turtle.
Franklin is 65-years-old and weighs about 400 pounds, Gallagher said. The turtle can live to be over 200 years old and weigh upwards of 1,000 lbs. Gallagher said he got Franklin years ago as a pet and now has two Sulcata turtles under his care. The species originally hails from North Africa.
What might be most impressive about Franklin is his diet. While a herbivore, his intake is anything but light.
“He’ll eat 80 heads of Romaine a day,” Gallagher said.
